Lantern



(No Model.)

1-1. B. HART.

LANTERN. No. 311,128. Patented Jan. 20, 1885.,

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NITED STATES PATENT @rrics.

HARRIE BARTON HART, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LANTERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,128, dated January 20, 1885.

Application filed March 21, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRIE B. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lanterns, of

' which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of lanterns specially intended for suspension to the shafts of bicycles, and my invention consists in certain improvements in the construction of the lantern-cases, reflectors, lamps, and clamping devices, and in the buffer-holders, whereby I am enabled to facilitate the construction of the lantern and improve its efficiency.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bicycle-lantern, showing myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse section, and Fig. 4 is a plan view.

The case A of the lantern, which may be of any suitable shape, as shown, is substantially rectangular in form and open at the front side, the sides a being bent inward at their lower edges to form lips e, and the bottom 1) consisting of a plate with flanges d at the sides, which are riveted or soldered to the sides a in such position as toleavc a space between the lips e and the bottom Z, which space constitutes aguiding-groove for the bottom plate, 2', of the lamp-reservoir B. This permits the lamp to slide readily in and out of the case, and holds it securely in its position, so that there is no jarring or rattling. The wick-elevating shaft f of the burner extends through a slot in the side of the case and below a nut, h, turning upon a threaded pin, g, extending from the reservoir, so that the said nut may be brought to bear upon the shaft to prevent it from turning, while the reflex action upon the nut tends to hold it in place, the wick being thus maintained in posit-ion.

The reflector 0 consists of a polished concave disk provided with an annular flange, a, bent over at the edge to form an annular lip, m, and an intervening annular recess, into which extends an annular flange, a, surrounding the opening in the back j of the case. This permits the reflector to be removed, polished, and replaced, and also affords access at the rear to the burner whenever this may be necessary. The reflector is held in place by means of a cap, D, hinged at the upper edge to the back of the burner, and provided at the lower edge with a projecting tongue, k, which engages with the beveled end 12 of a spring-catch, consisting of a spring-plataE, secured at its center to the bottom of the case, and having the beveled ends and shoulders shown, the forward end, q, serving as a retainer for the lower edge of the front plate, F, hinged at the upper edge, as described hereinafter, and having a flanged recess, within which fits the usual glass disk, l. The cap D has a positive but yielding bearing upon the flange of the reflector, so as to hold it firmly in place without rattling, and the springcatch E likewise holds the cap and the front plate in close contact with their bearings without permitting any vibration. An opening, 00, in the reflector coincides with a larger opening in the cap D, in which is a disk of colored glass, 1', to secure the usual rear light; and the case has side openings, g, which are covered by coloredglass disks carried by metallic frames 9 g, the latter being pivoted at w to the side of the case, and having at the lower end a pin, 8, which extends beneath a spring-arm, t, consisting of a corrugated wire secured to the case at the forward end, so as to be sufficientlyelastic to permit the pin 8 to be carried readily beneath the same, and yet bear upon the pin with such pressure as to prevent rattling. The frames 9 g are rings of spun metal, contracted to form seats for the colored-glass disksu, and spun over the latter to confine them to the seats, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby holding them firmly in the frames, so there can be no play or rattling or liability of the glass to break from the jarring of the lantern. The usual hood, I, extends over the top of the case, and to this hood is connected the clamping device, by means of 5 which the lantern is suspended from the axle of the driving-wheel.

The clamping device is composed of two metallic frames, L L, each consisting of two grooved semi-annular pieces, a, and a connecting cross-piece, w, the two sections being hinged together by means of a pivot-pin, 2, which is parallel to the cross-pieces w, and also constitutes the pivot upon which swings the front plate, F. The semi rings of the lower frame, L, are provided with flanges 3, which lie upon and are riveted to the top of the hood I, and from the rings of the upper frame, L, extend hollow projections or lugs 4, through the openings in which extend the parallel bars 5 6, having fiat contiguous faces, and together constituting a divided round rod, each of the bars carrying a disk of leather, hide, or other material, 7, at the outer end, and a setscrew, 8, passing through one of the lugs 4 and bearing against the bar 6, and serving as a means of clamping the bars together and holding them immovably in their bearing. The set-screw 8 is loosened to permit a ready adjustment of both bars to bring the disks 7 into the desired proximity to the hubs of the wheel, and both bars are then clamped securely in place by simply turning the screw. By this simple arrangement I avoid the difficulty of adjusting the buffers as usually con structed and arranged. It will be apparent that the outer faces or sides of the bars may be angular instead of round, as shown, and revolving wheels may be substituted for the leather disks 7. The clamp is swung upon the pivot z to receive the axle upon which it is to be hung, and the parts are then brought together and secured in the position shown in Fig. 1. Any suitable securing device may be employed. That shown,whichI prefer, consists of a thread ed cylinder or screw, P, revolving upon a pin, 9, carried by the upper section, L, and aspring, Q, carried by the lower section, with a curved end arranged to engage with the threads of said screw, by turning which the jaws of the clamp may be opened to a greater or less extent. The spring bears firmly upon this screw and prevents the same from turning, but yields to a very limited degree, so as to avoid the shocks that result from a rigid connection. While the spring will hold the parts firmly in position, it may be drawn back out of contact with the screw to permit the upper frame, L, to be swung away from the lower frame to apply the clamp to the axle.

To reduce friction, curved bearings 10, of Babbitt metal, are inserted in the grooves of the pieces 1;; or any other suitable bearing ma terial may be employed.

It will be apparent that a clamp consisting of the connected frames L L may be cheaply made, is light in weight, that there is but little bearing or friction upon the axle, and that the devicemay be applied readily to any ordinary forms of lantern-cases.

In some instances the screw 1? may be stationary, or a serrated bar or rack may be used, the spring Q being formed with an upwardlyextending projection, 12, by which it may be seized and drawn back to permit the adjustment of the frame L.

By hanging the front plate, F, to the pivotpin 2 I avoid the necessity of employing a separate hinge, and secure a firm and durable connection.

Heretofore skeleton frames have been shown, but they were not jointed, so that the upper frame could be adjustable and support the weight of the lantern; nor have the jointed frames been so arranged as to give under a shock to the bicycle and prevent the consequent jar to the lantern.

Friction-rolls have been used in the bearings, but they are objectionable and expensive, and I have found that a continuous Babbitt-metal bearing is cheap and effective, saving wear upon the shaft and bearings, and by the use of my adjustable spring securing device they can be readily adapted to tit the shaft snugly, so as torprevent rattling and still have practically very little friction.

Without limiting myself-t0 the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I claim 1. A lantern-ease provided with sides bent in to form lips above the bottom, in combination with a detachable lamp, supported between said lips and a plate forming the bottom of the ease, riveted or soldered to the sides, substantially as set forth.

2. A lantern provided with a case having an opening at the rear of the burner, and a reflector fitting said opening and removable from the rear, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the casing having an opening at the rear of the burner, a detachable reflector, and a hinged cap, and means for clamping the same against the reflector, for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the lantern-casing having a flanged opening, and the detachable reflector having an edge flange and peripheral lip, substantially as set forth.

7 5. The combination of the casing, detachable reflector having a central opening, an, and hinged cap D, having a central opening and glass plate, as described.

6. A lantern-case having an opening at the rear of the burner, hinged cap covering said opening, and hinged plate closing the front of the case, in combination with a spring-plate having beveled ends and shoulders and arranged to hold both the cap and plate in place, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the casing having a side opening, a frame pivoted to the side of the case and carrying a glass disk and pro vided witha pin, 8, and a corrugated springarm, t, engaging with said pin, substantially as described.

8. A clamp for bicycle-lanterns, consisting of two skeleton frames, each having a semicircular portion at each ,end, one frame being I secured to the hood and the other pivoted to the first and serving to support the lantern on the shaft, and elastic connections between said frames, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the divided clamp consisting of the frames jointed together, of aspring carried by one frame and a screw attached to the other, the spring bearing upon the screw and serving to adj ustably hold the frames in position, substantially as described.

10. The combination of the jointed frames, a screw connected to turn upon one of the frames, and a spring upon the other frame bearing with its end against the screw, whereby the clamps may be held by an adjustable elastic pressure and the shocks to the lantern avoided, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with the shaft of a bicycle, of a lantern having a divided clamp and elastic connections, and provided with semicircular recesses, and of solid metallic bearings extending around said recesses and adapted to bear upon the shaft, whereby the frictionbetweentheshaftandlanternisreduced to a minimum, substantially as described.

12. The combination, with the case of a bicycle-lantern, of a clamp consisting of two skeleton sections, one fixed to the case and the other pivoted to the first and supporting the lantern, and an elastic or spring securing device attached to one of the sections, and an adjusting device attached tothe other section, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRIE BARTON HART.

\Vitnesses: P

WM. S. DARLINGTON, WM. B. CRAWFORD. 

